


Returning Past

by JantoJones



Series: Torchwood [20]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-29 22:50:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6397141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JantoJones/pseuds/JantoJones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A face from Ianto's London days turns up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Returning Past

Ianto glanced up at the huge overhanging front of the Millennium Centre as he passed, then he looked right at the 70ft shining water tower. He considered using the invisible lift platform in front of the tower but decided to walk around to the main entrance instead. Ianto strode directly down the centre of the Oval Basin. As it was 4:30 in the morning, there was no one about. He walked under the footbridge onto Roald Dahl Plas and turned right. A few paces in front of him was the tourist office entrance of the secret Torchwood hub. The door was very dingy and Ianto had once thought about sprucing it up a bit. He'd been over-ruled by Jack who'd said it was less obvious as it was. He went through the door and made his way down to the hub, where Jack was waiting for him.

Jack handed the Welshman a mug of tea, and was pleased to see Ianto in casual clothes for once.

"Are you trying to take my job?" Ianto joked.

Jack smiled warmly.

"It's only fair," he replied. "Since I've dragged you out of bed at what can only be described as stupid o' clock in the morning. It's also an apology because I could have gotten Tosh in to help."

"So why pull me from my bed?" queried Ianto, knowing full well that it was Jack's libido which had made the decision for him.

"I'd like to drag you back in to bed but, for now, we've got work to do."

Ianto kept his expression impassive but the sparkle in his eyes belied his true emotion. He would have liked nothing more to be dragged to Jack's bed. The sparkle wasn't missed by the captain.

"Anyhoo," he said. "Work."

About an hour earlier, one of Torchwood's minor security systems had failed but, as with all Torchwood's systems, it needed two people to reset it. Given all the other security which protected the hub, resetting this system could have waited until a reasonable hour. Jack though had thought it was the perfect excuse to get Ianto to himself while there was no one else around. It took all of twenty minutes to reset the system and run a quick sweep of the hub for anything that may have caused its failure. When nothing was revealed, Ianto bade farewell to Jack and headed for the door.

"Sorry Yan, I'm afraid we're not finished yet."

Ianto raised an eyebrow, pretending not to understand what Jack was driving at.

"Don't play dumb," the Captain admonished playfully. He put his left hand on Ianto's chest, his right behind the Welshman's head and pulled him in for a kiss. Ianto loved being held like that, Jack was a very possessive kisser.

"You don't look right in those jeans Yan," Jack said, his voice dripping with lust. "I think you should take them off."

He undid the button of Ianto's jeans, and then slowly pulled down the zip. Jack slid his into the younger man's boxers and was not surprised to find that Ianto was already hard.

"Jumping the gun a bit aren't you?"

"You've only got yourself to blame, Jack," Ianto replied. "And, since it's your fault, I think you should sort it out."

"Okay."

Jack removed his hand and waggled his finger in a 'follow me' gesture. Holding onto his waistband, Ianto followed Jack into his office and down the manhole in the floor. He stepped from the ladder and wasted no time removing his clothes. Jack did the same and lay down on the bed. He patted the empty space beside him which was quickly occupied by Ianto. Both men were now sporting full erections. Jack ran his index finger along Ianto's length causing him to shiver.

"Let me help you with this."

Jack wrapped a hand around the shaft and began to slowly pump up and down. In return, Ianto did the same for Jack. The pair of them lay, jerking each other off for several minutes, kissing as they did. Owing to many hours of practice, Ianto and Jack managed to bring each other off at exactly the same time. They both spurted their loads everywhere but didn't really care where it landed.

"Christ, Ianto," Jack panted. "You really know how to use that thing."

Ianto laughed. "It comes from having one of my own. My teenage years were spent perfecting the art."

It was Jack's turn to laugh. "And here was me thinking you were a good Christian valley boy."

"After the things we've done together?" scoffed the valley boy. "If my Mam knew even a quarter of it, she'd never leave the church."

Jack leaned over and kissed Ianto deeply, his tongue exploring every part of the other man's mouth. When he pulled away again, he said;

"Just something else for your mother to pray about."

Ianto reached up to pull Jack back to him but was stopped by a sudden, piercing alarm.

Jack was immediately on the alert. He jumped off the bed and quickly pulled on his trousers and t-shirt. After grabbing his Webley he climbed, barefoot, up the ladder to his office. A quick check of the computer told Jack that a pressure sensor in the archives had been triggered. Ianto had caught up with him and went across to the weapons locker to arm himself. When he got back to the office he found Jack simultaneously scanning through the CCTV feed and life sign detectors. The captain pointed to a figure running through the archives.

"How the fuck did he get in?"

Ianto was puzzled. The figure on the screen seemed familiar to him. He tapped a couple keys and the camera zoomed in.

"I'm sure that's Tim Jenkins," he told Jack. "He worked at Torchwood One."

"What was his speciality?"

"Security systems."

"Oh good," Jack murmured flatly. "At least we have the consolation of knowing we're being burgled by the best. Come on, he's heading this way."

Jack darted out of the office and entirely failed to notice Ianto's look of unease.

They came across Tim Jenkins in a corridor leading directly off the main hub. The intruder was about to turn and run but noticed the gun and thought better of it. It was then he saw the man behind Jack.

"Ianto Jones?" he said, in an accent similar to Owen's.

The Welshman didn't reply.

"It fucking is you, isn't it? I hoped you'd been killed at Canary Wharf but I couldn't find your name on the lists of the dead."

Jack glanced from angry face of Jenkins to the impassive one of Ianto.

"Friend of yours Yan?"

"Something like that." Ianto's voice was flat and emotionless.

Jack was intrigued but now wasn't the time.

"Okay. I can tell there's a story there but there's a more pressing one right now. Why are you here Mr Jenkins?"

"I found out that everything that was left of Torchwood One was brought here," Jenkins informed him. "I believe a personal project of mine was amongst the other stuff."

"You could have just asked. Did you find what you were looking for?"

Jenkins smiled humourlessly. "No, but I found something better."

Without warning he produced a knife and threw it hard at Ianto. It hit him directly in the stomach.

"I found revenge."

Ianto fell to the ground, grasping at the knife. Jack immediately shot Jenkins just above the knee, to disable him. The captain knelt down and tenderly kissed Ianto's forehead.

"Don't worry Yan. I'll look after you."

"You're fucking joking," Jenkins gasped, through clenched teeth. That Welsh twat took Lisa from me and he turns out to be fucking gay!"

Jack saw red. He ran at Jenkins and pinned him to the floor, making sure to catch his injured leg. The intruder yelled out, trying to push the other man from him. He wasn't strong enough against a very pissed off Jack.

"I'd advise you to stop talking now," Jack growled. "As you've realised, Ianto means a lot to me and I'm very protective of him. I don't like people who break into my house, hurt my friends and mess with my toys."

"Fuck you!"

Jack lost patience entirely and caught Jenkins with a right hook to his jaw, knocking him out cold.

Jack now found himself with a dilemma. He needed to get medical help for Ianto but he also needed to secure Jenkins. A quick rifle through Jenkins' pockets produced a mobile phone.

"Jack?"

"It's okay Ianto," The Captain crouched by the prone man. "I'm going to call Owen in."

"It hurts." Ianto could barely speak through the pain.

"I know." Jack took hold of the younger man's hand to comfort him while dialling Owen's number on the phone. It took a while for the call to be answered.

"Owen its Jack," he spoke quickly to prevent Owen from getting a whinge in. "Get to the hub A.S.A.P. Ianto has been stabbed. You'll find us in the corridor which leads to the archives."

He hung up before Owen could ask questions. Jack decided his best option was to sit in the corridor with Ianto with his gun trained on Jenkins. He sat down, still holding onto Ianto's hand.

"Come on then Yan," he said a little too brightly. "What is this guy to you?"

Ianto took several deep breaths before answering, obviously trying to fight through the agony.

"He's Lisa's ex-boyfriend," he said, with heavy emotion in his voice. "She was with him when we met. Christ Jack, when's Owen coming?"

"Soon, he won't be long."

He squeezed Ianto's hand. It was as much to reassure himself as anything else. The injured man was finding it hard not to let the pain overwhelm him. He wrapped a hand around the knife's handle in a twisted parody of what he'd been doing with Jack earlier. Ianto tried to pull the knife free, but was stopped by Jack.

"It's stopping your blood from running freely," he explained carefully. "Tell me more about Jenkins. This is one hell of a reaction to you stealing his girlfriend."

"There's more to it than that."

Jack had suspected there might be. He waited for Ianto to continue. Between whimpers and gasps of agony, Ianto managed to get the story out.

Shortly before the Cyberman/Dalek invasion, Ianto had discovered that minor, inconsequential pieces of technology were going missing. He'd brought it to the attention of Yvonne who'd authorised him to investigate further. It had taken him only two days to discover a trail which led to Tim. Ianto had once again gone to Yvonne and presented his findings. She'd ordered him to take two security personnel and have Jenkins confined until she had the time to deal with him. As he was being locked away, Jenkins had accused Ianto of using the situation to get rid of his rival. Ianto had denied it but Tim still swore revenge. Six hours later, Tim Jenkins was forgotten about as two alien races staked a claim on Earth.

As soon as he finished the story, Ianto drew a shuddering breath and his eyes fluttered closed. For one heart stopping moment, Jack thought Ianto had died on him. Fortunately, he was still breathing, albeit raggedly. Talking had sapped his strength. At that moment, Owen burst into the corridor. He didn't waste time with questions; he simply got on with the job in hand. Jack asked him if he could manage on his own for a while. Owen glanced at the other unconscious man and nodded his head. With that, Jack picked Jenkins up and carried him over his shoulder. Leaving Ianto with Owen, he took his prisoner to the cells. Along the way, he retrieved a set of handcuffs and a medical kit.

Jack dumped Jenkins, unceremoniously, onto the sleeping platform in the cell. He cuffed his hands behind his back and bound his ankles with a bandage. Then, he rolled the man onto his back, not caring whether he cut off his circulation or not. By this time, Jenkins was coming round and was not happy with his situation.

"What are you doing?"

Jack drew his gun and pressed it to Tim's forehead.

"I'm gonna treat your wound. Our actual medic is currently occupied with Ianto."

He tucked the gun back into his holster then tore through Jenkins' trousers to expose the bullet hole. He pulled a pair of tweezers from the medical kit.

"Hey!" Jenkins yelled. "What about anaesthetic?"

Jack ignored him and set to work. He plunged the tweezers into the hole and fished around for the bullet. Jenkins screamed struggled to get away from Jack. The captain simply held the man's leg as still as possible and continued to dig around. He eventually found success and yanked the object out. The pain was too much for Jenkins and he passed out. Jack cleaned the wound, stitched it and dressed it. He rolled Jenkins onto his side then left the cell.

Jack went and re-joined Owen and Ianto. The doctor had administered pain relief and antibiotics. Scanning the area with his Bekaran Deep Tissue scanner, he'd drawn the conclusion that Ianto needed to go to hospital. He told Jack to fetch a stretcher to carry him to the SUV. They soon had him in the vehicle, laid in the very capacious boot, and sped off to the hospital. Jack took the opportunity to call Gwen and Tosh to fully apprise them of the situation. Owen phoned ahead to the hospital to tell them of his credentials and their imminent arrival.

************************************************************

As soon as they reached the hospital, Owen went with Ianto into surgery, leaving Jack to sit on his own and worry. It was more than the usual 'worrying about the team'. Ianto really did mean a lot to him and he had no idea how it had happened. He'd always been physically attracted to the young Welshman, and when they'd started having sex, that's all it was. It was just sex. Somewhere along the line something emotional had happened. Jack ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back on the hard plastic chair. Being immortal, he'd become very good at waiting. Here and now though, his legendary patience had deserted him, when he needed it most. Fifteen minutes later, Jack was pacing the waiting room when Tosh and Gwen arrived.

"Jack?" There was an unspoken plea in Tosh's voice.

"No news yet." he told her.

The two women sat down while Jack continued to pace. Not another word passed between them until Owen entered the waiting room half an hour later.

"He's okay, he's okay," he had to shout over them, because they were all firing questions at him.

"Sit down and I'll tell you everything. It was a fairly clean wound and not too much blood was lost," Owen told them once they'd settled down. "Ianto will make a complete recovery. In fact, I should be able to have him back at the hub, under my care, tonight."

"Can we see him?" asked Gwen.

"The nurse says you can, but one at a time and not for long. You'll have to wait a few minutes though until they get him settled into a bed."

Tosh and Gwen allowed Jack to go first. He pushed the door open cautiously; almost afraid of what he would see on the other side. Ianto was, understandably, pale and was wired up to heart monitors and a drip. To Jack's utter relief, Ianto was waking up as he entered. He smiled at Jack, who returned it with a very happy one of his own.

"You scared me a bit there Yan. I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm not that easy to get rid of," his voice was weak and tired. "What happened to Tim? Did you shoot him?"

"Yes I did. He's locked in one of our cells and when I'm leave here, I'm going to have a few words with him."

Ianto's eyes started fluttering. Before he drifted back to sleep, Jack kissed him.

"Hurry up and get better Ianto."

He left Ianto to his sleep and went back to the waiting room.

"I'm going back to hub," he told the others. "I have some very pressing business."

************************************************************************

When he got back to the hub, Jack checked Jenkins's cell on the CCTV feed. The prisoner was sitting up and yelling at the camera. Jack turned the image off and opened up the Torchwood personnel files. He had the records of everyone who'd worked at any of the Torchwoods. Tim's file showed him to be a less than exemplary employee. Ianto's discovery had been the last of a string of offences. Most of them were insubordination but the latter ones were more serious. There were a couple of bullying charges and a case of violence against a colleague. Jack was surprised Jenkins had remained employed for as long as he was. None of the other reports had been filed by Ianto. It quieted the treacherous little voice at the back of his mind which was asking, 'What if Ianto did have it in for Jenkins?' He felt guilty for thinking it but he'd always been a suspicious bastard.

Armed with a printout of Jenkins's file, Jack went to the cells.

"It's about time," Jenkins snarled. "Are you going to give me something for the pain or remove these handcuffs?"

"No," Jack glanced at the file in his hand. "Timothy Algernon Jenkins? Well that explains the attitude."

"I don't have a problem with my name."

"After reading your file and after today's incidents, I'm declaring you an enemy of Torchwood. As such, you will be held here until your future is decided."

"Why don't you just shoot me now?"

A couple of years ago, that's exactly what Jack would have done, but his team had changed him. Especially Gwen, with her constant morality. Besides, there was something he needed to clear up.

"I've got a list here of the components Ianto caught you stealing," Jack continued. "You were building a so called 'clean bomb'. What were you going to do with it?"

"You don't look naïve," replied Jenkins with derision. "I was gonna sell it to the highest bidder of course. It's the ideal weapon. People are vaporised leaving buildings standing and unlike nuclear devices, there's no radioactive fallout."

Jack was sickened and couldn't stand to be near Jenkins any longer. Without a word, he headed back to his office.

The female members of the Torchwood team were stepping through the cogwheel door as Jack entered the main hub area. They noted the look of absolute disgust on his face.

"Are you okay Jack?" Tosh asked, tentatively.

He gestured for them to join him in his office where he poured three glasses of whiskey. After swallowing the liquid, he told them what Jenkins had been planning.

"Oh my God!" gasped Gwen, appalled. "There are people out there who would pay billions for that kind of technology."

"Exactly," Jack agreed. "And we've very probably got one in our archives."

"What are you going to do with it?"

"Once I've found it, I'm gonna dismantle it then destroy the components."  
"What about Jenkins?" asked Gwen.

Jack shrugged. "I really have no idea. I've made him an official enemy of Torchwood but I don't know what to do with him."

Gwen knew the answer to her next question but asked it anyway.

"What is Torchwood's usual policy when dealing with its enemies?"

"We usually execute them."

Much to Jack's eternal amazement, Gwen didn't say anything. He'd expected her to take her usual moral stance and condemn the thought of execution. Instead, she'd stayed silent. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. Before Gwen decided to voice an opinion, Jack went to look for the device. Luckily, most of the stuff from Torchwood One had already been catalogued and filed. He figured it would be a safe bet that it would be amongst the stuff they hadn't sorted yet. It didn't take Jack long to find what he was looking for. He seen devices like it in the past and had also witnessed the aftermath of one. It had been a city five times the size of Cardiff. Not a living thing was left. The memory sickened him to the core. Jack picked up the tennis ball sized device and was relieved to find that it was missing a couple of vital components. It wouldn't be hard to dismantle and, since Jack needed to take his mind from Ianto, he decided to get the job done immediately.

Four hours later, all that was left of the device, was smithereens. Jack had gone down to the weapons range with it, taken it apart and then taken a hammer to each individual part. It had helped his frustration no end. He swept the bits into a plastic bag and pushed it into his pocket. Jack picked Gwen up from the main hub and they went to the cells.

"Good afternoon, Tim."

Jenkins was still sitting but was leaning heavily against the back wall of the cell. He was clearly in a huge amount of pain. Jack didn't particularly care.

"When Dr Harper returns, I'll have him provide some pain relief."

He took the handcuffs key from his pocket and handed it to Gwen. He told Jenkins to twist himself around so that his back was facing the door.  
"But, don't try anything or I'll shoot you in the head this time," he warned. He reiterated his point by un-holstering his gun.  
Gwen opened the cell door and removed the handcuffs. Jenkins didn't move a muscle. Once the door was re-locked, Jack produced the plastic bag. He held it up for Jenkins to see.

"This is what's left of your 'clean bomb'."

Jenkins simply shrugged.

***************************************************************

At 6 o' clock that evening, following consultation with the surgeons, Ianto was signed over into Owen's sole care. Ordinarily, there would be no chance of a patient being discharged so soon after major surgery, but Owen had pulled rank. Being Torchwood meant being able to do what was needed. Jack had brought the SUV back to the hospital in order to transport Ianto to the hub. He arrived as Ianto was, carefully, being helped from the bed into a wheelchair.  
"Easy Tiger." he joked. "It's a bit soon to be running about."

Ianto gave him a slight smile. He was weak, but Jack could see the sparkle was still in his eye.

"Don't worry Sir," Ianto whispered. "I'll be back on the job before you know it."

Jack opened his mouth to answer the innuendo in Ianto's statement, but a warning look from Owen stopped him. He settled for grinning instead.

"Come on then Yan. Let's get you home."

Unusually, Jack drove back to the hub fairly sedately. He was all too aware of the precious cargo sitting in the back seat. Gwen was waiting for them, with a wheelchair, in the SUV's garage. It took several minutes to get Ianto from the vehicle into the wheelchair and it sapped his strength to a huge degree.  
"I want to see Tim," he mumbled. He was tiring rapidly.

"Not right now Mate," said Owen gently, patting Ianto on the shoulder. "You need to rest and I need to give you a quick check over."

"Later?"

"Absolutely Ianto," Jack reassured him. "When you get some of your strength back, I'll take you down there."

Ianto nodded weakly before slipping into sleep as his energy left him.

He awoke a few hours later in the tiny Torchwood medical suite. In the chair in the corner, Owen was snoring loudly. He had the uncanny ability to sleep anywhere. Ianto's urge to talk to Tim still hadn't left him, but he knew Owen and Jack wouldn't let him leave his bed yet. The thought entered his head that, maybe, he would be able to get to the cells on his own. His first obstacle was his heart monitor. He couldn't just remove the pads because it would cause the machine to flat line and wake Owen. His only option was to switch the machine off. He very gingerly sat himself up, wincing as his stitches pulled. Thanks to copious amounts of medication, the pain was bearable. As soon as the heart monitor problem was solved, Ianto cautiously made his way to the door. The next obstacle was Jack. He normally spent his unoccupied nights standing on high buildings and surveying the city. However, Ianto knew that he wouldn't have ventured too far tonight.

It took Ianto twenty minutes to get to the cells. He'd almost run into Jack at one point, on his side journey to the armoury, but managed to keep himself hidden. Ianto thought it best to be armed. His strength was waning again and he was beginning to regret his decision to get out of bed. He considered going back but realised he was closer to the cells than the medical suite, so continued his journey. Tim was asleep when Ianto finally reached him. Owen had begrudgingly given him the pain medication he needed, muttering something about 'the bloody stupid, bloody Hippocratic bloody Oath'.

"Wake up Tim," Ianto called through the holes in the door.

Jenkins stirred and it took him a moment or two to figure out who was there. His eyes widened when he saw the gun in Ianto's hand.

"Nice to see you up and about Ianto," said Jenkins, with false bravado. Over the last few hours, it had slowly dawned on him exactly how much trouble he was in. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, considering I was stabbed this morning," Ianto snarled. "I'm surprisingly chipper."

"You don't look too steady on your feet."  
It was true. Ianto was struggling to stay upright, but he was determined to clear up the whole Lisa issue.

"I didn't steal her from you."

"What do you mean?"

"She pursued our relationship," Ianto told him. "I wasn't interested. Especially as I knew she was with someone already."

"Yet you still took her," Jenkins spat. "I still lost her."

Ianto nodded sadly. "I know and I'm sorry. I fell in love with her. I couldn't help it."

"Fuck off, Jones. My only consolation is that you lost her too. She was killed at Canary Wharf."

"She wasn't."

The simple statement stunned Jenkins. For a moment, he was speechless.

"Lisa is alive?" he asked eventually.

"No."

"I don't understand."

Ianto explained how he'd found Lisa and the state she was in. How he'd brought her to Cardiff and tried his very best to save her. He told Tim of his failure and how his actions had endangered the planet. Then, with tears springing to his eyes, he told him that Lisa had gone insane and had to be destroyed.

"Did you kill her?"

"I couldn't," Ianto confessed. "The others did it."

"I could've saved..." Jenkins began but faltered.

"What?" Ianto couldn't believe what he was hearing. It sounded as though Tim could have prevented Lisa's death.

"Did you pass up the chance to save her?"

Jenkins remained silent and refused to make eye contact with the Welshman.

"COULD YOU HAVE SAVED HER?!"

Finally, Tim's gaze fixed on his. "Probably, but I needed to retrieve my project."

It was Jenkins's turn to explain. When the Cybermen had forced their way into this world, it had caused a brief power fluctuation. This in turn had released the locks on Tim's cell door. He'd taken the opportunity when it was presented and slipped out of the cell. Due to being locked away for several hours, he'd known nothing about the invasion until he almost ploughed into a group of Cybermen. Luckily they hadn't noticed him. He hadn't known what they were at the time but could tell they were far from friendly. Tim's first instinct had been to get as far from the tower as possible, but he couldn't leave without his project. He'd put too much time and effort into it to leave it behind. It was hidden in plain sight amongst a store of abandoned technologies. As Tim had made his very slow way to the storage room, he'd seen Lisa with a load of people who were being herded down a corridor. He could have easily plucked her from the crowd to relative safety but couldn't risk her finding out what he was doing.

"I tried to go back for her, but it was too late."

Ianto had never been so angry in his whole life. Even the anger he'd felt after Jack had left Lisa to Myfanwy had nothing on this. Logic and common sense flew out of the window as Ianto opened the cell door and raised his pistol. Unfortunately, his body chose that exact moment to remind him he was injured. A wave of agony emanated from his wound causing sudden dizziness. Tim didn't hesitate. He was out of the cell in an instant, pushing Ianto against the opposite wall. The Welshman dropped the gun in the attack and was left trying to push Jenkins away from him. He had no strength, however, and Tim knew it. He punched Ianto hard in the stomach, bursting the stitches. Ianto crumpled to the ground as pain engulfed him. Even though his vision was clouding, he saw Tim pick up the dropped weapon. As consciousness began to slide away from him, he heard the vague sound of a gunshot. Then, just before blackness descended, he saw Jack and Owen leaning over him.

********************************************************************

The dozing form of Jack swam into view as Ianto woke up. He didn't look at all comfortable in the small chair.

"Jack," Ianto could barely hear himself. He tried again. "Jack."

The Captain leapt up, fully alert, and drawing his Webley. Reality soon followed and, feeling rather foolish, he put the gun away again,

"Hey Ianto, welcome back."

"What happened? Did Tim shoot me?"

"No," Jack told him. "I shot him. He's dead. When Owen awoke and found you missing, he alerted me and we searched on the CCTV for you. I nearly had heart failure when we found out where you were."

"I had to see him," Ianto mumbled. "I wish I hadn't."

"You're not kidding," agreed Jack. "He very nearly killed you."

"That's not what I mean."

He told the Captain what Tim had said to him. "He could've saved her Jack, but he didn't."

Ianto couldn't have stopped the tears from falling if his life had depended on it. All the grief he thought he'd resolved came flooding back. Jack sat beside him on the bed and held him until he finished and the sobs had died away.

"I'm so sorry Yan," Jack's heart went out to the younger man. He'd just gotten his life back on track, and then along comes Tim Jenkins and he was derailed again.

"It's okay Jack," said Ianto, quietly. "I may not be okay right now, but I will be."

Jack smiled at him. "Well, you're confined to this bed for the foreseeable future, so we've got plenty of time for a few heart to hearts."

"And who's going to be taking care of the world at those times?"

"The others will cope."

Jack leaned in and gently kissed Ianto's lips. The other man took hold of the back of Jack's head and held him in a much deeper kiss.

"Thank you Jack," he said, when they pulled apart. "For everything."

"Anytime Ianto. You know that."


End file.
